In the late summer of 1628, the judicial machinery of Haddington turned its attention toward Janet Darling, a married woman residing in the coastal burgh of Prestonpans. On August 8, 1628, Janet became the subject of a formal legal proceeding (C/EGD/1039), marking the commencement of a process that would ultimately bring her before the courts of early modern Scotland. Her case, documented under the reference T/LA/502, unfolded within the context of a period when the legal scrutiny of alleged maleficium was a recurring feature of communal life in the Lothians.
By the conclusion of that same year, the legal record confirms that Janet had provided a formal confession. While the specific nature of the testimony she offered remains contained within the laconic entries of the period’s judicial registers, the existence of this confession indicates that she participated in the complex interrogatory process mandated by the Scottish authorities. Through this admission, the events involving Janet were codified into the archival history of the Prestonpans witch trials, serving as a permanent witness to the legal actions taken against her in the autumn of 1628.